Assembly: Shadow Statutory Committees

Lord Alderdice: As I said last night I would, I now seek the leave of the House to suspend the sitting to allow the party Whips to discuss and, I trust, agree the membership of the Statutory Departmental Committees. On that basis the sitting will be suspended until the call of the Chair, but not later than 4.30 this afternoon. On resumption, either the formal announcement will be made and we will do the rest of the business, which is fairly brief, or Members will be advised that we will not be able to complete the business this evening and that therefore it will be necessary to meet tomorrow.
The sitting was, by leave, suspended at 10.33 am and resumed at 4.06 pm.

Lord Alderdice: Earlier today the party Whips agreed the membership of the Shadow Statutory Committees. I have checked the lists that they provided against the list of Members to ensure that all Members were offered a place on a Committee if they so wished. I have also checked, in accordance with the requirements of the Standing Orders, that the Committees are constructed on a broadly proportionate basis. I am content, therefore, that the appointments agreed by the Whips should proceed.
Membership of the Shadow Statutory Committees is as follows:
Agriculture and Rural Development: Mr Armstrong, Mr Bradley, Mr Douglas, Mr Ford, Mr Haughey, Mr McHugh, Mr Kane, Mr Molloy, Mr Paisley Jnr.
Culture, Arts and Leisure: Dr Adamson, Mr Agnew, Mr Davis, Mr Hilditch, Mr McCarthy, Mr McElduff, Mr McMenamin, Mr Shannon, Mr J Wilson.
Education: Mrs E Bell, Mr Benson, Mr Fee, Mr Gallagher, Mr Gibson, Mrs Lewsley, Mr McElduff, Mr McHugh, Mr K Robinson.
Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Mr Attwood, MrCampbell, Mr Clyde, Mr Dalton, Mrs Lewsley, MrMcClarty, Dr McDonnell, Ms Morrice, MsO’Hagan.
Environment: Mr Benson, Mrs Carson, MrADoherty, Mr Ford, Mr Leslie, Mr McLaughlin, MrM Murphy, MrPoots, Mr Watson.
Finance and Personnel: Mr W Bell, Mr Close, Mr Dallat, Mr Gibson, Mr Kane, Mr McClelland, Mr Maskey, Mr Nesbitt, Mr Weir.
Health, Social Services and Public Safety: MsArmitage, Mr Berry, Mrs Carson, Ms Hanna, MrJ Kelly, Mr McFarland, Prof McWilliams, MrsRamsey, Mrs I Robinson.
Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment: Mr R Beggs, Mr Byrne, Rev Robert Coulter, Mr Dallat, Mr Hay, Mr R Hutchinson, MrJKelly, Ms McWilliams, Mrs Nelis.
Regional Development: Mr Byrne, Mr Ervine, MrHay, Mr R Hutchinson, Mr Hussey, MrAMaginness, Mr C Murphy, Mr J Taylor, Mr Wells.
Social Development: Sir John Gorman, MrBHutchinson, Mr G Kelly, Mr D McClarty, MrDO’Connor, Mr E ONeill, Mr M Robinson, MrJTierney, Mr S Wilson.

Lord Alderdice: A document containing details of membership of the Committees should be available from the Printed Paper Office 30minutes after the rise of the House.

Mr Eddie McGrady: I should like to place on record, on behalf of my party and of the other parties, sincere thanks to you, Mr Initial Presiding Officer, for offering your services over five or six hours of complex negotiations on proportionality, mathematics and Departments. We are grateful to you for the manner in which the negotiations were conducted, the success of which is in no small measure due to your skill as an interlocutor.

Mr Jim Wilson: I should like to add my thanks to you, Mr Initial Presiding Officer, for your patience and tolerance and for your assistance in all our deliberations.

Mr Conor Murphy: I endorse those thanks and put on record my party’s appreciation of the constructive manner in which this procedure was carried out by all the parties. It was a worthwhile exercise, and I am glad that it was concluded much quicker than was anticipated.

Lord Alderdice: I am grateful to Members for their kind remarks. Of course, no matter how much one does, little is possible without the thorough co-operation of the Whips and their party colleagues. Your comments are much appreciated.

Port of Belfast: Report

Resolved:
That this Assembly agrees the publication of the report issued by the Ad Hoc Committee (Port of Belfast) (NNIA 12). — [MrAMaginness and Mr S Wilson]
Adjourned at 4.14 pm.